Marcus
McGhee believes the biggest fight of his career halted his
momentum.
McGhee (11-2) went undefeated in his first four
Ultimate Fighting Championship outings before taking a massive
step up in competition against Petr Yan last
year. Yan earned a unanimous decision over McGhee and went on to
win the bantamweight title against Merab
Dvalishvili in his next fight.
“The Maniac†claims the promotion has held him back since that
result, but he doesn't know why.
Marcus McGhee questions his UFC matchmaking ahead of UFC
332
McGhee returned to the win column in June against unranked John
Yannis, who is now 1-2 in the UFC. He is scheduled to return at
UFC
332 on Oct. 3 against Bernardo
Sopai.
McGhee admits that he accepted the matchup against Sopai (13-3) to
stay active. He believes the loss to Yan led to the recent decline
in his level of opposition and that the UFC has been pushing him
back since the defeat.
In an interview ahead of his Octagon return, McGhee pointed to
Payton
Talbott co-headlining UFC 332 and Raoni
Barcelos headlining
UFC Vegas 121 on Saturday while questioning the UFC's
matchmaking process.
“Seems like it hindered me,†McGhee told Full Send MMA. “I wouldn't
even say [ranked opponents] are not ready to fight. I just think
that the UFC decides who they want to fight and who they don't want
to fight. Because me and Payton Talbott are both on this card.
Raoni Barcelos fought last week. There's plenty of guys that are
available, but they make their matchups for whatever reason they
make their matchups… But I do feel like they have been pushing me
back since [the Petr Yan] fight. So, I'm gonna keep doing my job,
keep showing up, keep winning these fights.â€
Marcus
McGhee expresses frustration with the lack of activity and
admits the Petr Yan
matchup might have played a part
“I feel like it's hindered me. Talbott is on this card, Barcelos
fought last week, there's guys available. I feel like I've been
pushed back since that fight†pic.twitter.com/vkZ0wLqHvG
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma)
September 29, 2026
Lee “Lightning†Selby will headline BKB 61 against Ollie “The
Death†Sentance on Nov. 14 at Indigo at The O2 in London.
BKB announced the all-British matchup Tuesday, with the former IBF
featherweight champion set to make his second appearance in the
promotion's Trigon. Selby had previously been confirmed for the
event, but his opponent had not been announced.
Lee Selby faces 2-0 bare-knuckle finisher Ollie Sentance in
London
Selby retired from professional boxing in 2022, bringing an end to
a career in which he captured the IBF featherweight championship.
He made his BKB debut at BKB 55 in June, stopping Antonio Rizzo via
second-round TKO.
The 39-year-old Welshman will now make his first BKB appearance in
London, where he will face another undefeated bare-knuckle fighter
in Sentance.
“I'm really looking forward to getting back in the Trigon and
fighting in London again,†Selby said. “Ollie is a tough opponent
and I know he'll be coming to bring a fight, so I'm expecting a
proper battle. It's always special fighting in front of the British
fans and I'm excited to headline BKB 61 and put on a great night
for everyone at The O2.â€
Sentance enters the matchup with a 2-0 bare-knuckle record, with
both victories coming by stoppage. The Kidderminster,
Worcestershire, native made his BKB debut in February, stopping
Nico Earwaker in the fourth round before adding another TKO victory
over Corey Healey at BKB 55.
The 29-year-old competed in several combat sports, including mixed
martial arts and kickboxing, before moving into bare-knuckle
boxing.
BKB RETURNS TO LONDON! 🇬🇧
Former World Champion Lee Selby vs. Ollie Sentance headlines
#BKB61!
ðŸŽŸï¸ Tickets on sale now at https://t.co/5lBvCaM4am pic.twitter.com/qh7OjCVquf
— BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing (@bkbbareknuckle)
September 29, 2026
Dana White says he is definitely part of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.
The last few weeks have been dominated by the public battle between Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, and the UFC CEO over whether or not White will be involved in the Fury vs. Joshua superfight in December. Despite having no direct promotional relationship with either fighter, White and fight financier, Turki Alalshikh, have pushed for White's involvement in the promotion, while Hearn has steadfastly refused to allow it.
As such, for the past few weeks the fight has appeared to be in jeopardy of even happening, but on the eve of their first official press conference, White insists that everything has been settled, and that he is part of the promotion.
“There's no confusion whatsoever,†White told reporters after the latest edition of Contender Series on Tuesday night. “If you look at everything, from the network to the guy that's actually f*cking paying for it, and to me saying what I've said. I've been saying it now feels like for f*cking years, but it's probably been weeks, and I've been saying the same thing. …
“It's happening. It's done,†White continued. “It's a done deal. Everything that I've been saying is the truth. Why would I say it and double down, and triple down, and f*cking quadruple down if it wasn't the case?â€
Of course, White has insisted several times before that things were settled, only for Hearn to deny those claims later. Hearn and White have been embroiled in an increasingly bitter rivalry for most of 2026, since White moved into boxing with Zuffa Boxing and quickly signed one of Hearn's long-time fighters, Conor Benn. Since then, the two have battled through the media, with White at one point even suggesting they fight for real. So, as this rivalry continues, White puts the issues with booking Fury-Joshua down to ego.
“This isn't a hesitation, this is an ego thing,†White said. “Total ego thing. It has nothing to do with any of this shit. And listen, boxing has taken a hit in the United States. It's not as big as it was 20 years ago. It has become a very British sport, and all the shit that you're hearing, the crying, and the bitching, and whatever the f*ck, is coming from the U.K.â€
White also insisted that despite all his fiery language, he's actually in his element, telling reporters he's having fun and that “this is right up my alley.â€
It's still unclear exactly what role White plays in the Fury-Joshua fight, though, and whatever it is, it apparently won't be part of the opening press conference on Wednesday, as White confirmed he will not be in attendance for the London event.
“No, because I was here,†White said when asked if he would be at the press conference. “I would have been there if I didn't have the Contender.â€
Fury and Joshua are expected to fight on Dec. 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Gable Steveson dealing with mental block since winning gold medal, says Henry Cejudo: “He's just not finishing the job after the Olympicsâ€
Credit: Zuffa LLC
One of Jon Jones' famous techniques could be on its last legs in Mixed Martial Arts as 2027 quickly approaches.
Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones was known for his creativity inside the Octagon. But over a year since his retirement, one of Jones' patented techniques could be on its way out of Mixed Martial Arts.
Jones retired following a successful UFC heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. He was in talks to fight Tom Aspinall before a lengthy contract dispute with the promotion led to his decision to hang up the gloves.
Jones was one of several UFC legends to utilize low kicks to earn victories inside the Octagon. But Jones took things to a new level when he utilized oblique kicks, a brutal technique, to finish several of his rivals.
After several current UFC fighters suffered injuries from oblique kicks in 2026, Jones' famous technique could be banned in the coming months.
CSAC: ‘It's time' to ban Jon Jones' famous oblique kicks from MMA
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, California State Athletic Commission executive Andy Foster was asked about the future of oblique kicks following Jones' retirement.
“I think it's time. I think that there are more risks than we should require our fighters to have to deal with to participate in mixed martial arts,†Foster said of potentially banning Jones' famous oblique kicks.
“This is a kick that has a long healing time. It can really have a lifelong effect. Fighters have a short window, and at some point, they're gonna be done with this. This kick, it got its name for that oblique ligament in the back of the knee. You essentially get the unhappy triad or whatever, as the doctors call it. You bust all of those ligaments at once if this thing lands right. Somebody could have a lifelong injury from this, that they're gonna deal with way after this is over.
“It's not worth it,†Foster continued on the popular Jones technique. “I don't think the public loses anything if this kick is banned. There's plenty of other techniques if you're using it for distance. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the fighters, at least the ones that use it, think the idea is to basically hyperextend the knee and bust these ligaments to win that way. I think that's what it's for.†(h/t MMA Junkie)
Do you agree with Oblique Kicks potentially being banned? Share your thoughts in the comments!